Aston Simba HD/ Fransat Problem

[japn]

Hi all, I have just plugged in a new aston simba HD box on 5W to recieve Fransat channels, all seemed to be working fine until the point I swopped the Scart cable for a HD cable into my 42" LG tv then the aston box started repeatedly turning itself on selecting channel then turning off again & again, the funny thing is that when you remove the decoder card it seems to stabilize.

Plugged in scart again and turn back on put decoder card back in and seems ok for between 5-15 minutes, then starts turning on & Off again. sometimes this starts when changing channel, seems not to be a pattern to it.

Has anyone else had this problem, I ordered box over internet from france so I really need to know if it is a card or reciever fault.

The other problem is in france I assume I have a one year guarentee but as for returning I ordered the box in January does anything affect my rights....

is there anything I can try first. The signal strenght was about 63-65% would this cause problems....:questionmark:

[mdt]

hi m8, firstly you could try a factory re-set then set your receiver up from scratch with the hdmi cable and not the scart lead. the box uses over-the-air software downloads but these are sent via the hotbird satellite at 13 east. take a look at the aston website. aston-france.com/uk-assistance.php. the signal level and quality shouldnt make your stb keep re-booting and so on, have you checked inside the f-connector for a small braid of wire touching the + and shorting the signal? i doubt the box is faulty . sorry i cant help you anymore but these boxs arent something you see every day. regards mdt

[japn]

hi m8, firstly you could try a factory re-set then set your receiver up from scratch with the hdmi cable and not the scart lead. the box uses over-the-air software downloads but these are sent via the hotbird satellite at 13 east. take a look at the aston website. aston-france.com/uk-assistance.php. the signal level and quality shouldnt make your stb keep re-booting and so on, have you checked inside the f-connector for a small braid of wire touching the + and shorting the signal? i doubt the box is faulty . sorry i cant help you anymore but these boxs arent something you see every day. regards mdt

cheers thanks for your reply, I have had a search on the net and found worrying info on aston website about power supplys supplied to europe and uk being different. read quote below and please tell me what you think this means and does it actually apply to aston simba HD Box

Power supply

http://www.aston-france.com/images/plus.gif Why does the Simba range have two types of electric supply ? (javascript:toggleLayer('z14');)
The switch mode power supply is less affected by changes in tension than is linear supply. It is for this reason that we have designed Simba terminals with switch mode power supply for the Maghreb market. In Europe, where electricity surge is not such a problem, then this type of supply is less necessary. which is why the products sold in this zone have linear power supply.

http://www.aston-france.com/images/plus.gif My Simba 201 has linear power supply. Can this be changed to switch mode power supply ? (javascript:toggleLayer('z15');)
No, this is not possible. Independently of the type of power supply, the two models of the Simba have different electronic cards.

http://www.aston-france.com/images/plus.gif I live in the Maghreb and a friend in France has sent me a Simba terminal with linear power supply. What can I do to avoid electric problems with my terminal ? (javascript:toggleLayer('z16');)
One efficient method is to buy an inverter for a computer. You will find a large range of models in most computer shops. Depending on the model, you will be able to protect all your audio-visual equipment.

this quote comes from following link:ASTON Simba? Technical Support (http://www.aston-france.com/uk-assistance.php?produit=simba)

[rdk77]

Sorry to say I had the same problem and had to return the box via my son in law in France for repair. It took a while because France closes during August, but all is well now. It records beautifuly in HD onto a cheap SATA/IDE caddy from Maplin and an old Seagate 30g disk.

Good luck
RDK

Hi all, I have just plugged in a new aston simba HD box on 5W to recieve Fransat channels, all seemed to be working fine until the point I swopped the Scart cable for a HD cable into my 42" LG tv then the aston box started repeatedly turning itself on selecting channel then turning off again & again, the funny thing is that when you remove the decoder card it seems to stabilize.

Plugged in scart again and turn back on put decoder card back in and seems ok for between 5-15 minutes, then starts turning on & Off again. sometimes this starts when changing channel, seems not to be a pattern to it.

Has anyone else had this problem, I ordered box over internet from france so I really need to know if it is a card or reciever fault.

The other problem is in france I assume I have a one year guarentee but as for returning I ordered the box in January does anything affect my rights....

is there anything I can try first. The signal strenght was about 63-65% would this cause problems....:questionmark:

[japn]

Yeah I got mine back but was uterly ripped off, french customs charged import duty even though paperwork & inv included and DHL cocked up and uterly ripped me off also and they refused to pay duty on my behalf, once the box was repaired They said was my fault and had to pay ?50.00 for repair and to ship back, when I recieved it, casing was scratched as if someone had used a scraper to remove lable and also remote control was missing, seems to be no recourse as I did not pay with credit card no one wanted to know.
but now box is working fine and all else forgotten but next time think I will pay a little extra and get the box from a uk supplier as ended up almost costing double. maybe this site could have a consumer advice section as with all the rip off merchants over here would be great to know our rights.